Synthesis of the pink bollworm sex pheromone

ABSTRACT

Synthesis of the sex pheromone, (7Z,11Z/E)-7,11-hexadecadienyl acetate, of the pink bollworm moth, Pectinophora gossypiella, and intermediates therefor.

United States Patent 1 Anderson et al.

SYNTHESIS OF THE PINK BOLLWORM SEX PHEROMONE Inventors: Richard J. Anderson; Clive A.

llenrick, both of Palo Alto, Calif.

Assignee: Zoecon Corporation, Palo Alto,

Calif Filed: Apr. 25, I974 Appi. No.1 463,938

[ Nov. 11, 1975 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.687.990 8/1972 Gutmann et all .4 260/413 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Blackwood et aL, JACS. 90. 509-510. 1968.

Prinuu v Bram/ner-Howard T. Mars Atmrnev. Agent, or Firm-Donald W. Erickson ABSTRACT Synthesis of the sex pheromone. (7ZliZ/E)-7.1lhexadecadienyl acetate. of the pink bollworm moth. Peclirmp/mm gussypiel/u. and intermediates therefor.

1 Claim, N0 Drawings SYNTHESIS OF THE PINK BOLLWORM SEX PI-IEROMONE This invention relates to the synthesis of the sex pheromone, (72, llZ/E)-7,l l-hexadecadienyl acetate, of the female pink bollworm moth, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) and intermediates therefor.

The sex pheromone of the female pink bollworm moth has been identified as a mixture of cis,cis and cis,- trans isomers of 7,l l-hexadecadienyl acetate, Hummel et al, Science 181, 873 (Aug. 31, 1973). The authors found that a l:l mixture of the cis,cis and cis,trans isomers was an effective attractant for capturing male moths in a field-trap evaluation whereas the cis,cis isomer alone and cis,trans isomer alone were apparently ineffective attractants.

The present invention provides means for the synthesis of isomers of 7.l l-hexadecadienyl acetate, the preparation of isomeric mixtures thereof, and intermediates therefor.

The synthesis of this invention is outlined as follows:

(III) mide (VA) which is obtained from the mesylate of V. (H -(CHI)r-CH%H(CH,),-CH=ZH(CH,.),CH,-X (VA) The coupling reaction used to prepare the diene acetal V! is carried out using a cuprate reagent prepared from cuprous iodide and the lithium reagent obtained from the reaction of lithium and the bromo-acetal which is obtained from 3-bromo-l-propanol and ethyl vinyl ether. By treatment with aqueous acid the acetal Vl is hydrolyzed to 7,1 l-hexadecadienol which is converted into the acetate using acetic anhydride in pyridine.

Following the examples hereinafter, it is possible to [n the practice of the above outlined synthesis, 1,5- cyclooctadiene is oxidized using organic peracid to the l,2-epoxy-5-cyclooctene (l). The epoxide I can be prepared also using t-butylhydroperoxide in the presence of molybodenum catalyst. The oxidation of epoxide to the a-hydroxyketone I] is accomplished by bubbling air through a solution of the epoxide in dimethylsulfoxide at above room temperature for several hours. The oxidative change of Z-hydroxy-S-cycloocten-l-one to the aldehyde ester Ill is carried out using lead tetraacetate in a lower alkanol of one to three carbon atoms (R is lower alkyl of one to three carbon atoms) in the presence of benzene. The aldehyde ester Ill is then converted by Wittig reaction with triphenylamylphosphonium bromide to the 4,8-tridecadienoic ester [V having cis isomerism at C-4 and cis,trans isomerism at EXAMPLE 1 A. To an ice bath cooled solution of 21.6 gm. of 1,5- cyclooctadiene in about 400 ml. of methylene dichloride is added, in portions, 4] .0 gm. of mchloroperbenzoic acid, maintaining the temperature at lO-l5. The suspension is stirred overnight and then filtered. The filtrate is washed with 2M sodium carbonate and saturated sodium chloride solutions and then dried over calcium sulfate. Distillation through Vigreux column yields the monoepoxide (l,2-oxido--cyclooctene), b.p. 95100(l0 mm.).

B. To 20 ml. of dimethylsulfoxide is added 4.5 gms. of the monoepoxide of Part A. Air is bubbled through this solution at I ID for 60 hours. The solution is then poured into ice-saturated sodium chloride and ether. The water layer is separated and extracted twice with ether. The ether extracts are combined with the organic layer and washed twice with saturated sodium chloride and then dried over calcium sulfate. The crude product is applied to six silica plates (l m. X 20 cm.) impregnated with Rhodamine dye and eluted with 20% ethyl acetate/hexane. Main product band (R,0.2) is removed to give 2-hydroxy-5-cycloocten-l-one which distills at 55 at 0.1 mm.

EXAMPLE 2 To 220 mg. of Z-hydroxy-S-cycloocten-l-one in 5 ml. of 30% ethanol/benzene is added 860 mg. of 85% lead tetraacetate in portions. After about 3 hours at room temperature, water and ether are added to the reaction mixture. The aqueous phase is extracted several times with ether. The combined ether extracts are washed -with 2M sodium carbonate and saturated sodium chloride solution, dried over calcium sulfate and evaporated to give ethyl (4Z)-8-oxo-4-octenoate in high purity.

EXAMPLE 3 A. To a suspension of 3.47 gm. of triphenyl n-pentylphosphonium bromide in 50 ml. of dry ether, under nitrogen, is added 4.8 ml. of l.67M n-butyllithium in hexane. After about 30 minutes of stirring. the solution is cooled to 40 and then L26 gm. of ethyl 8-oxo-4- octenoate in about 5 ml. of ether is added. The suspension is stirred for about 80 minutes and then 40 ml. of ethanol is added slowly (about 5 minutes). After about 10 minutes, the cooling bath is removed and the solution stirred in a water bath (about 30) for 1 hour. The reaction is worked up using ether/hexane (3/1), washing with brine, drying over calcium sulfate and evaporation of solvent. The residue is treated with pentane and the pentane soluble portion then applied to three silica plates (l m. X 20 cm., Rhodamine impregnated) which are eluted with 5% ethyl acetate/hexane to yield ethyl (4Z,8Z/E)- 4,8-tridecadienoate (49:5l cis,trans at C-8).

The phosphonium salt can be prepared as follows: To I25 gm. of triphenylphosphine in about 450 ml. of benzene, under nitrogen, is added 75 gm. of l-bromopentane. The solution is refluxed for 72 hours. On cooling, the solid mass is broken up, filtered and then washed several times with diethyl ether. The salt is dried under high vacuum.

B. A mixture of l gm. of the ester of Part A, ml. of dry ether and 0.6 ml. of 4.3M lithium aluminum hydride, at is stirred for 3 hours and then quenched with saturated sodium sulfate solution. The reaction is diluted with ether and 2% HCl and the layers separated. The ether phase is washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate and saturated sodium chloride and dried over sodium sulfate. Solvent is removed and the concentrate distilled to yield (4Z,8Z/E)-4,8-tridecadien-lol, b.p. 70 (bath) at 0.05 mm.

C. To a mixture of 746 mg. of the alcohol of Part B, 20 ml. of methylenedichloride, and 555 mg. of triethylamine, stirred and cooled to 0 to l0, is added 480 mg. of methanesulfonyl chloride, dropwise. After l.5 hours. ice is added and the layers separated. The organic phase is washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate and saturated sodium chloride, dried over sodium sulfate and solvent removed to yield the mesylate.

D. A mixture of l gm. of the mesylate of Part C, 25 ml. of acetone, and 750 mg. of sodium iodide, under nitrogen. is heated at 60 for 20 hours. The reaction is diluted with water and hexane and separated. The aqueous phase is extracted with hexane. The organic phase combined with the hexane extracts is washed with l% sodium bicarbonate and saturated sodium chloride and dried over sodium sulfate. Solvent is re moved to yield (4Z.8Z/E)-4,8-tridecadien-l-yl iodide (cis:trans ratio of 49:51 at C-8).

EXAMPLE 4 A. About l7 gm. of 3-bromopropanol is stirred overnight with several grams of sodium carbonate to remove acid components. The suspension is centrifuged and the supernatant 3-bromopropanol removed by pipette (l 1.6 gm.). To this bromoalcohol is added about 25 ml. of ethylvinyl ether and I00 mg. trichloroacetic acid. After about L5 hours, an additional 100 mg. of trichloroacetic acid is added and the reaction stirred for 32 hours. One gm. of solid sodium carbonate is added and then after 24 hours, the reaction isfiltered and excess ether removed. The residue is distilled to give the bromo-acetal, b.p. 60.5-62 (3 mm.).

B. To 10 ml. dry ether, under argon, is added about 252 mg. of lithium (containing 1% sodium) in pieces. To this suspension, cooled to 0", is added 0.5 gm. of the bromo-acetal of Part A in l2 ml. of diethyl ether. After about l0 minutes, additional bromo-acetal (3.3 gm.) in about l0 ml. of diethyl ether is added over about 20 minutes while maintaining temperature at 5 to -10". Formation of the lithium reagent is complete after about 2 hours (molarity of 0.54M).

To 1.03 gm. of cuprous iodide in 15 ml. of dry tetrahydrofuran, under nitrogen and at 20, is added 20 ml. of the above lithium reagent. After about l5 minutes, 0.90 gm. of (4Z,8Z/E)-4,8-tridecadien-l-yl iodide in dry tetrahydrofuran is added. After about 1 hour, the reaction is quenched by addition of saturated ammonium chloride and worked up using ether and ammonium chloride solution. The organic phase is washed to neutrality with saturated sodium chloride, dried over calcium sulfate and concentrated. The residue (acetal V1) is dissolved in 30 ml. tetrahydrofuran and 20 ml. water containing 250 mg. trichloroacetic acid. After about 20 hours at room temperature, the reaction is heated to 60 for 1 hour. After cooling, the reaction is worked up by addition of ether and 2M sodium carbonate. The organic phase is washed with saturated sodium chloride and dried over calcium sulfate. After concentration, the residue is applied to two silica plates l m. X 20 cm.) impregnated with Rhodamine and eluted in 20% ether/hexane to yield (72,1 lZ/E)-7,l l-hexadecadien-l-ol, b.p. 95 (bath) at 0.025 mm.

The acetate is prepared by dissolving 520 mg. of the alcohol in 3 ml. pyridine and 1.5 ml. acetic anhydride and stirring a few hours, under nitrogen. Ice is added to the reaction followed by stirring and addition of hexane/ether (9/l The organic phase is washed with 5% HCI, 2M sodium carbonate and saturated sodium chloride, dried over calcium sulfate and concentrated. The concentrate is distilled, (bath) at 0.025 mm., to

yield (7Z,l lZ/E)-7,l l-hexadecadienyl acetate (cisztrans ratio of 49:5l at C-l 1).

EXAMPLE 5 To a mixture of 40 mg. of sodium hydride (previously washed with pentane), 5 ml. of dry dimethylformamide and 700 mg. of triphenylamylphosphonium bromide, under nitrogen, and at room temperature, is added. dropwise, 180 mg. of ethyl 8-oxo-4-octenoate in l ml. of dimethylformamide. After addition is complete, the reaction is stirred for several hours and then quenched with water. The reaction is worked up by extraction with ether, washing with saturated sodium chloride, drying over calcium sulfate, evaporation of solvent and distillation (65 at 0.03 mm.) to yield ethyl (42,82)- and (4Z,8E)-4,8-tridecadienoate (cisztrans ratio of 94:6 at C-8). The isomeric ratio is established by converting an aliquot of the diene ester to the bis-epoxide using excess m-chloroperbenzoic acid and then gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of the bis-epoxide.

EXAMPLE 6 To 413 mg. of triphenylamylphosphonium bromide in 10 ml. of ether, under nitrogen and at room temperature, is added 0.57 ml. of n-butyllithium l .67M in hexane). After 1.5 hours stirring, 120 mg. of ethyl (4Z)-8- oxo-4-octenoate in about 0.5 ml. ether is added. After about two hours at room temperature, the reaction is quenched by adding water. The reaction is worked up as in Example 5 and distilled (55 at 0.05 mm.) to yield ethyl (4Z,8Z)- and (4Z,8E)-4,8-tridecadienoate (cisztrans ratio of 78:22 at C-B).

EXAMPLE 7 To 310 mg. of triphenylamylphosphonium bromide in 5 ml. ether at 0, under nitrogen, is added 0.43 ml. of 1.67M n-butyllithium in hexane. After about 0.5 hours. the solution is cooled to 78 and 88 mg. of ethyl (42)- 8-oxo-4-octenoate in 0.5 ml. ether is added. The reaction mixture is stirred for 1 hour and then 5 ml. of ethanol is added slowly and temperature allowed to warm to 40 over 1.5 hours. After an additional l.5 hours at 40", the reaction mixture is warmed to room temperature over 2 hours and then quenched with water. The reaction is worked up as in Example 5 to yield ethyl (4Z,8Z)- and (4Z,8E)-4,8-tridecadienoate (cisstrans ratio of 27:73 at C-8).

EXAMPLE 8 The process of Example 2 is followed using each of methanol and isopropanol in place of ethanol to prepare methyl (4Z)-8-oxo4-octenoate and isopropyl (4Z)-8-oxo-4-octenoatc. respectively.

EXAMPLE 9 The bromide (VA; X is bromo) is prepared by stirring the mesylate of Example 3(C) with l.5 equivalents of sodium bromide in dimethylformamide at room temperature and then worked up as in Example 3(D).

What is claimed is:

1. The compound of the formula as a mixture of the cis-7,cis-l l and cis-7,trans-l I iso- ITICI'S. 

1. THE COMPOUND OF THE FORMULA 